Lost in the Dark
by relena soulheart
Summary: All her life, Kaida had did nothing more than go on missions to find seven pure lights. When she was tasked to lead a certain boy with silver hair into darkness, she wasn't too ecstatic about working with him. But it was becoming less of a punishment later on and she soon uncovers secrets of her past. Bad at summaries. :/ Rated T just to be safe.
1. Prologue

_**My second fan fiction since Frozen Hearts. Yay! I'm still working on my crossover story, but I thought I'd put up a new story in the meantime. **_

_**I've been looking at Puja723's guideline on how to make a Kingdom Hearts OC, so I'm really hoping I don't end up pulling a Mary Sue and that I make my OC as believable in the Kingdom Hearts world as best as I can. If I do end up pulling a Mary Sue somewhere in the story, sorry!**_

_**Anyway, I'm still kind of working some stuff out with this story so the updates will be coming later than with Frozen Hearts. Probably up to 4-5 days between each update; a week tops. Just thought I'd give you a heads up. I'll be working on some other stories to post up as well.**_

_**But enough said. Let's get this story started!**_

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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

Maleficent sat on her throne, deep in thought as she caressed her crow Diablo who perched on her staff. "Soon, my pet. I may have failed in capturing Aurora's heart, but I am certain I will not fail again and soon the other six hearts of light will be mine."

Her thoughts were interrupted when a dark corridor appeared before her and two figures walked out. "Ah, Xehanort. What a pleasant surprise," the evil fairy softly chuckled. Xehanort smiled in return and said, "Indeed it is."

Maleficent turned her attention to the boy in the mask standing next to the old master. "I assume this is your apprentice Vanitas. But who is the girl in his arms?"

Vanitas was carrying a girl of 5 years who seems to be in a deep sleep. She had short black hair that went just below her chin and slightly dark skin. She wore a tattered black dress and there were a few cuts on her arms and legs.

"She is the daughter of my recently deceased former comrade. I obtained her just before her home world was plunged into darkness and cast her into a deep slumber. When she wakes, she will no longer remember her past," Xehanort explained.

Maleficent looked at him questionably. "And what is the reason for bringing her here?"

Vanitas scoffed, "Apparently, my master intends to use this girl for something later on in the future. Though I don't know why. She doesn't really look very useful other then as a punching bag."

"Appearances can be deceiving," Xehanort said to the boy, then turned his attention back to Maleficent, "I'm afraid that I cannot look after the child until her time comes. I believe that perhaps you could raise the child until she can be of use to me."

Maleficent was crossed. "What makes you think that I would look after her? I don't see any reason in doing so."

Xehanort smiled wickedly and said, "But what if I told you that this girl can be of assistance in your plan to unlock the door?" This caught Maleficent's interests. "She is to wield a keyblade, a weapon that will surely be useful in capturing the seven lights."

Maleficent thought for a moment, then smiled coldly. "Very well. She shall be in my care for the time being." With a wave of her staff, the girl levitated out of Vanitas's arms and towards the evil fairy. She then called for a few of her thugs and had them take the girl to a chamber.

As Xehanort and Vanitas was about to leave, Maleficent called to the old man, "May I ask what is her name?"

The old man glanced behind him and simply said, "Kaida. Her name is Kaida," and left.

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><p><em><strong>And scene! How do you like it so far? I know it's a bit short but it's a work in progress. :**_

_**By the way, Kaida means "little dragon" in Japanese and I think it's pronounced "kay-dah". I hope I captured the characters well. If I'm a little bit OOC with a few of them in this chapter or in any future chapters, my bad! :(**_

_**What does Xehanort plan to do with Kaida? Who was her father? How will Kaida's presence impact the Kingdom Hearts storyline?**_

_**These questions may or may not be answered in the next chapter, so tune in when the next chapter comes out! **_


	2. Chapter 1 (revised)

_**Here is Chapter 1! :)**_

_**I'm not entirely sure whether my OC's name is pronounced 'kay-dah' or 'kai-dah', so whichever you choose to pronounce it is fine.**_

_**Anyway, happy reading! :D**_

_**I forgot to add the disclaimer when I first posted the story so I'll do it now. Kingdom Hearts belongs to Disney and Square Enix. I only own Kaida (and any other OC characters that I may choose to add as I go along).**_

_**(revised)**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

"Stop! Come back here!" Kaida ran through the halls of the castle as the guards were right on her heels.

Kaida, now 15 years old, had light tan skin and orange-brown eyes and her long black hair was tied in a ponytail with side bangs that framed her face. Her attire composed of a light blue tan top, an orange and yellow sleeveless jacket with a red collar, black shorts with magenta straps, black boots, and purple finger-less gloves (A/N: use the cover image as a visual aide). Strapped to her back was a wooden staff with her name etched on it.

As she ran through the halls of the castle, Kaida made sure that the woman she was carrying over her shoulder was secure. _I still can't believe how much of a hassle it was to get her.__  
><em>

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><p><em>After sneaking past the guards, she soon arrived at the princess's bedroom. Glancing around to make sure there was no one around, she lightly put her ear against the closed bedroom doors. A beautiful singing voice was heard coming from inside. <em>

_Believe in your dreams and someday_

_Your rainbow will come smiling through_

_No matter how your heart is grieving_

_If you keep on believing_

_The dream that you wish will come true_

_Kaida had to admit, the woman had a beautiful voice and the song she was singing somewhat intrigued her. Believing in your dreams was definitely something she was never taught. _

_She shook her head furiously. _Focus, girl! Remember why you're here!

_The raven-haired girl placed a hand on the doors and silently mumbled a spell. "Purest of darkness, vast and deep. Place the woman in this room into a deep sleep." The doors glowed a eerie green for a few moments before the glow disappeared and a faint thump was heard from the other side of the door. __  
><em>

_She carefully opened the door and peered inside. Lying on the floor asleep was a blonde woman wearing an elegant dress. Kaida could feel a string light radiating from this woman, knowing she's the one she came for. Just as she was about to go and grab the princess, a squeaky voice cried out, "Cinderelly!"_

_Kaida then felt something land on her head and then tug onto her hair. "Ow! Hey! Get off of me!" She reached up and snatched onto whatever was in her hair. She brought it down to see..._

_A mouse wearing a red hat and orange coat?_

_"You bad girl! You stay away from Cinderelly!" _

_And it talks. _

_"Sorry little guy, but 'Cinderelly's' coming with me." Still holding the little mouse in her grasp, Kaida picked up the princess threw her over her shoulder. _

_"Let us a' go! Let us a' go!" The mouse demanded, struggling to get out. Just as Kaida reached the door, she felt a sharp pain in her hand._

_"OW!" She let go of the mouse in her hand and looked to see a small bite mark where the little thing bit her. _

_The freed mouse then put two fingers into his mouth and gave out a sharp whistle. Soon more mice in clothing appeared out of the small corners of the house and attacked. Some jumped on her and tugged on her hair or bit her while others would throw small household items lat her to get her to drop the princess. _

Who knew mice could be so fiesty! _She thought as she dodged a small handheld mirror from hitting her head. _

_"Alright that's it! AERO!" A large gust of wind engulfed her body, blowing away the mice and whatever was being thrown at her. Making sure there were no more mice on her, Kaida burst out the door._

_"Princess Cinderella been kidnapped! Stop her!"_

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><p>She barged through the castle doors and saw more guards blocking the gates, muskets ready to fire."Hold it right there!" She turned around to find she was completely surrounded.<p>

"Return the princess and surrender in the name of the king," the captain said sternly. Kaida put a finger to her chin, pretending to think, and asked, "And if I don't?" All the guards drew their swords and pointed them at her. She put a hand to her chest and let out a small gasp to look vulnerable. "Oh, what's a poor girl to do?" she whimpered. Her terrified expression changed into a mischievous grin and with a wave of her hand, everyone was surrounded in smoke.

Once the smoke had cleared, all the guards were shocked to find that Kaida and Cinderella were gone. "What? Where did they go?"

Hiding just below the stairwell, she looked around to make sure the coast was clear. "Time to get out of this mess," she muttered and opened a corridor of darkness. She ran in and found herself in the Entrance Hall at the Hollow Bastion castle.

After catching her breath for a few minutes, Kaida carried Cinderella up to the Castle Chapel. Once she found the secret passageway, Kaida proceeded to the Great Hall. There was a large platform at the end of the room where a large multi-colored Heartless emblem glowed. On the sidewalls were six people-sized pods that emitted an eerie blue glow. Kaida placed Cinderella in one of them and the princess was held in place by black tendrils that wrapped around her body. "Alright, that's three lights down," she sighed, looking at the opposite wall where the other two princesses, Aurora and Belle, were being kept, "and four more to go. Better go report in before Maleficent blows a gasket."

As Kaida was walking to the throne room, she glanced around at the castle she had to call her new home. It didn't seem very different from the castle back in the Forbidden Mountain, minus all the contraptions. When Maleficent had her capture Aurora, she and Kaida moved to Hollow Bastion so no one can find the princess and use the castle as a headquarters for the Great Villains Council. Why the fairy wanted to find the Princesses of Hearts, Kaida was never told the reason, but as long as it means she can go to other worlds, she couldn't care less. Still, it didn't mean Kaida was curious…

Ever since she was little, Kaida had trained in magic and combat with Maleficent. She was never allowed to go beyond the castle or the Forbidden Mountain. Many times Kaida had tried to sneak out, but Maleficent would always be one step ahead of her. Even after they had moved to Hollow Bastion, she and the other villains would keep an eye on her to make sure she didn't leave, up until a few months ago when she was sent to capture Belle.

When that mission was proven a success, Kaida was given the privilege to travel to other worlds on her own, but only during her missions or unless one of the villains accompanied her, much to her chagrin. Kaida had also been warned that if she were to fail one of her missions, Maleficent will never leave Hollow Bastion ever again. That was something the 15-year-old didn't want to happen.

She soon made it to the large wooden doors and entered the throne room. Kaida walked up to the throne, where Maleficent was just talking to a tall thin man in Arabian clothing, and she knelt down on one knee and bowed her head.

"You've returned Kaida," Maleficent said, "I trust that your mission was a success?"

"Yes. I've placed the princess in the Great Hall with the others, just as you ordered," Kaida replied respectfully, looking up at the two people at the throne.

"Excellent work, my dear," the vizier commended, "Well done."

"Thank you." Kaida stood up. "I beg your pardon, but may I ask you both something?"

Maleficent cocked her brow. "What is it my dear?"

"It's about these missions. I know I'm supposed to be finding these Princesses of Hearts and everything, but you haven't told me why we need them."

"That is none of your concern," Jafar said sternly.

"Maybe, but since I'm the one who's acquiring them, I have a right to know why these princesses are important."

"You will know in time," Jafar said calmly. But Kaida was starting to get annoyed.

"That's what you've been telling me every time I've asked! Why won't you tell me what's going on?!"

"You would be wise to hold your tongue," Jafar sneered coldly, "unless you wish to be punished like last time." Kaida recoiled slightly in fear at his threat. One time when she accidentally hit Jafar with a thunder spell, the vizier attempted to cast her in a pit of scorpions.

"Enough!" Maleficent yelled, silencing them both, "Kaida, you know better than to question your superiors."

"But I just-"

"SILENCE!" Kaida bit her lower lip and lowered her head shamefully. "Rest assured you will know of our agenda in time. You must be patient. Do you understand?"

"I understand…mother," she said, not making eye contact with the two villains.

"Off with you then." Kaida bowed to Maleficent and Jafar and left the throne room.

Once she left, Jafar chuckled, "She is quite a stubborn girl." Maleficent smiled coldly as she said, "Indeed she is."

"Are you certain you have taken every precaution so that she does not remember?" Jafar asked. "Who knows what she might learn while in other worlds."

"Fear not. With my training and magic, she will stay a pawn to my plan," Maleficent said confidently as she looked at the doors.

* * *

><p>"Stupid Jafar! Stupid-ugh!" Kaida stormed through the hallways while muttering in frustration. "What's so important that she can't bother to tell her own daughter?"<p>

"Well, well, well, looks like the little raven has her feathers ruffled ." Kaida looked up to see a grayish-blue man wearing a dark grey robe and had blue flames for hair. He had a wide grin on his face, showing his sharp pointy teeth.

"What do you want Hades?" she sighed in annoyance.

Hades put his hands up in mock surrender. "Whoa, whoa, easy there. I'm just on my way to talk to your mother, that's all."

"Yeah, right," Kaida said, rolling her eyes. _Can't I just walk around this castle without running into one of my so-called 'superiors'?__  
><em>

"Say, how about after my little meeting, why don't we go explore the Underworld? What'd ya say?"

"No thanks," she replied bluntly, "I'm just gonna walk around the castle for a bit. But say hi to Cerberus for me when you get home."

Kaida walked past Hades then stopped, a mischievous smirk tugging her face.

She quickly spun around and cast a Blizzard spell at his head, putting out his flaming hair. She stifled a mischievous chuckle at Hades's baldness and continued walking as if nothing happened. Hades wasn't amused as her turned around and glared at the girl casually walking away, his entire body turning red with anger.

* * *

><p>She soon found herself at one of the platforms overlooking Hollow Bastion and sat along the ledge. Kaida gazed out into the surrounding area, feeling the wind blowing against her skin while she twirled her staff around.<p>

Nothing but the cloudy skies and rocky plains as far as the eye can see. Out in the distance, she could make out a town completely in ruins. She wanted to go explore the town, but Maleficent didn't allow it. Looking down she saw the Rising Falls and the floating stone platforms in the area.

This what she saw every day ever since she came to the castle and whenever she wasn't allowed to leave: the same skies, the same ghost town, and the same castle and waters. Her view of what's outside her prison used to be Aurora's castle and the lush, open fields of the Enchanted Dominion, and now it was this dreary landscape.

She was glad that she wasn't stuck to just the castle anymore, but one failed mission and this world would be her prison all over again.

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><p><em><strong>I hope this new version of the chapter is better than the previous one. I'll be revising some of the other chapters as well. Hope you like it! :)<strong>_

_**Anyway, please favorite, follow, and/or review! Until next time!**_


	3. Chapter 2 (revised)

_**Okay, here's the new Chapter 2!**_

_**To clarify so there's less confusion at the end of the chapter, the italicized paragraphs are flashbacks and memories (they'll mostly be Kaida's, but there may be a few of the other character's flashbacks).**_

_**By the way, thank you Songbird Rebel and zrinnamaria for favoring and following my story (sorry for not mentioning this in the previous chapter). And thank you MissBookFan for following. :)**_

_**And just a bit of a warning, I'm probably not good at writing up battle scenes, so tips on how to make them better is most appreciated. :)**_

_**Anyways, hope you enjoy it!**_

_**(revised)**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

"Blizzard!" A blast of ice shot from her hand and took out the shadow heartless on her left. Seeing a small group of Sergeants to her right, she twirled her staff and threw it like a boomerang, instantly disintegrating them. Kaida quickly sidestepped as she barely dodged a Neoshadow and extended her hand. "Fire!" A ball of flame shot from her palm and burned the Heartless into a crisp.

"Change weapons!" Maleficent ordered as she watched from the sidelines. Strapping her staff onto her back, Kaida extended her arm and another weapon flashed into her hands: her keyblade.

The guard was shaped as red diamond and the blade was a katana blade with the body of a red dragon wrapped around it and two small daggers that made an X at the tip. The charm that hung from the hilt was a dark emerald with red dragon wings. On the blade there was a name conspicuously inscribed on it: Warrior's Spirit.

When Kaida had first started training, she had chosen to fight with her wooden staff for the first few years. Later on, she found out that she could wield a keyblade, a weapon of incredible power her mother called it. Where and how Kaida got it, Maleficent didn't explain much except that the keyblade chose her. Another secret she had kept from her daughter. Ever since, Maleficent made sure Kaida could fight well with both weapons in combat, although the fairy seemed to make her train more with the keyblade than the staff. Kaida preferred to use her staff most of the time in a fight, but she does fight with Warrior's Spirit when necessary.

As more Shadow Heartless surrounded her, Kaida raised the keyblade into the air. "Thunder!" A series of lightning bolts struck down the Heartless horde within the blink of an eye. Starting off with a sprint, she jumped onto the side wall of the chapel and ricocheted into the air, slicing the flying Heartless. Using an Aero spell to slow her descent, she did a quick flip and landed on her knee and foot as she touched the ground.

"HAAA!" Kaida's eyes widened as she saw a boy with silver hair charging toward her with a dark blade in the shape of a bat wing. After she was caught off guard for just a second, Kaida jumped back just he slashed, the blade just missing her torso by a few centimeters. Landing a few feet away from him, Kaida regained her fighting stance as the silver-haired boy smirked at her.

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><p><em>"CAW!" Kaida looked up at the sky and saw a raven swooping in and landing right next to her. "What is it Diablo?"<em>

_Before the raven could say anything, the sound of someone panting caught her attention and she saw a red parrot tirelessly flying in and landing onto her shoulder._

_"Kaida, Diablo and I saw something over at the Rising Falls! It just appeared out of nowhere I tell ya!" the parrot squawked, despite being nearly out of breath._

_ This had definitely peaked her interest. __"You don't say?" The raven-haired girl stood up from her seat. __"Iago, you and Diablo go tell my mother to meet me at the Rising Falls. I'll go check it out." Without waiting for the birds to fly off, Kaida went to the Rising Falls to investigate._

_She looked around as she went from platform to platform, but she didn't notice anything out of the ordinary until she heard a faint yell over the roaring waters. "Sora! Kairi!" She followed the source until she saw a boy about her age standing on a stone platform a few feet away and slightly lower than hers. _

_He had a yellow and black cut-off shirt with matching shoes and blue pants. His long silver hair went just above his shoulder with a few bangs just above his eyes. The boy didn't notice her presence as he hung his head in despair, staring solemnly at the ground. _

_She didn't want to admit it, but something about him fascinated her. Whether if it was because she'd never seen him before or the darkness she could sense in his heart, she was intrigued._

"_Well, well, well." Kaida gasped and looked to see Maleficent standing next to her. "What have we here?"_

_Kaida looked back at the silvernette, who was looking at her and Maleficent with surprise. _

_"You seem lost. Come with us to the castle my dear, then you can explain why you are here," Maleficent said sweetly, which caught Kaida off-guard. Normally, she would've expected her mother to be upset and have him thrown into the dungeons, but this time it sounded like she was expecting him._

_As Kaida followed her mother back to the castle with the boy trailing behind, she could feel his eyes staring at her._

_She looked back and raised her eyebrow._ "_What?"_

"_U-uh, nothing. Sorry..." he stuttered. _"_I'm Riku."_

_"My name's…Kaida."_

_A few days later  
><em>

_The raven-haired girl leaned against the railing on the second floor as she watched Maleficent training Riku in the Entrance Hall. After slicing another Heartless into dust, the silvernette glanced up at Kaida and gave her a smug grin, earning a puzzled look from her. Riku continued with his session, only with more determination and gusto than before. Maleficent noticed her new student's change and looked up to see her daughter. Both females made brief eye contact before Kaida looked away from her mother's gaze, pretending to show no interest._

_"Is something the matter deary?" A maroon tentacle slid up the girl's back and wrapped around her shoulders._

_Kaida turned her head slightly to her left and she was face to face with a fat woman with white hair, lilac skin, and octopus tentacles instead of legs. "I have no idea what you're talking about Ursula," the 15-year-old said bluntly. _

_The sea witch snidely cackled, "Oh really? Seems to me you are...intrigued by this boy Riku. He is quite a catch."_

_Kaida's eyes widened. "Don't be ridiculous!" she grumbled, brushing Ursula"s tentacle off her shoulders, "Only way I'd be interested in a guy like him is if he could beat me in a fight, which I seriously doubt he could."_

_She got up from the railing and walked away from the Entrance Hall, not noticing the slight pink shade in her cheeks. _

_Unbeknownst__ to Kaida, Riku overheard what she said about beating her in battle. _She wants a fight, she'll get one.

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><p>She gave a swift swing of her blade and yellowish white waves cut through the air. Riku dodge-rolled out of the way and Kaida took the chance to strike. The tip of her keyblade dragging along the ground, she brought Warrior's Spirit up in a vertical strike. The boy saw this and brought his blade down and the two weapons clashed until they locked together, both fighters trying to push the other down. <em><br>_

"You know, you're not as bad as I thought you'd be," Kaida said, trying to keep the force of Riku's blade from overpowering her.

Riku gave a small chuckle. "Really? You mean you weren't impressed before?"

"Oh, please." Kaida rolled her eyes. "You have no idea who you're dealing with here."

"Then it's about time I found out."

Kaida and Riku leaped back to a safe distance away from each other. _Time to finish this,_ she thought. Kaida closed her eyes shut and concentrated. A dark aura glowed around the girl's body and her keyblade was covered in shadows. She smiled devilishly as her eyes opened to reveal a bright yellow color.

Riku was shocked to see Kaida like this, but he soon recovered and charged with his blade Souleater extended out to the side. Kaida smiled confidently and charged as well with Warrior's Spirit in the same position. But as Kaida was quickly closing the large gap between them, she suddenly felt a sharp pain from her head.

* * *

><p><em>Two teenagers stood on opposite ends of a large room and faced each other. One of them was a boy with brown hair and the other was a girl with short blue hair. Both of them had small pieces of armor on their right arms and held their keyblades firmly in their grasps, determined looks on their faces. They ran at each other and their blades clashed in the middle. With every attack they threw out, the other would quickly block or dodge out of the way in time, neither of them holding back.<em>

* * *

><p>Kaida closed her eyes tightly and shook her head, regaining her focus as she kept charging. But little did she know that her eyes went back to their normal color and the dark aura surrounding her and her keyblade had vanished. Riku and Kaida yelled as they lashed out at the same time and then came to a stop with their backs to each other. Silence filled the room as neither combatant moved a muscle and Maleficent watched to see who would fall first.<p>

It wasn't long before both of them fell to their hands and knees, dispelling their weapons. Maleficent smiled evilly at them as Riku and Kaida got up and went to stand before her. "Very impressive, the both of you," Maleficent said, "You two have shown great skills in combat." Her smile then fell to a small frown when she looked at her daughter. "However, I am disappointed in you Kaida. Not only did you let your guard down when Riku attacked, you didn't use the power of darkness at the last moment to finish him off. I expected better from you."

Kaida looked at her mother remorsefully, but she was partially listening to what Maleficent was saying. The black-haired teenager couldn't stop thinking about the vision she had seen during her battle. Who were they? Why did the vision make her suppress the darkness?

"That is all for today," Maleficent said, bringing Kaida out of her thoughts, "Riku, I would like to speak to you in the throne room." Kaida and Riku bowed to Maleficent and the evil fairy vanished into green flames.

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><p>While Riku went to go talk to Maleficent, Kaida decided to wander around the castle for a bit. While she was walking, she kept thinking about what happened while she and Riku were against each other. She was lucky she didn't lose, but hearing Maleficent criticize her instead of Riku made the raven-haired girl feel uneasy. What was she doing wrong? Why did Maleficent bring him to Hollow Bastion in the first place?<p>

After Riku's arrival, Kaida learned that her mother summoned him just before his home world was destroyed due to his darkness being 'quite useful' as Maleficent would say. What use could he be to her? She already has the other villains and her daughter, so why one more?

The only information Kaida had on the new arrival was he came from a world called Destiny Islands and he's looking for his friends, a boy named Sora and a girl named Kairi. Not much to go from there, but she's sure to find out more in time.

As she kept dwelling on her thoughts, Kaida faltered when she heard muffled voices coming from the large wooden doors she just passed by. Realizing it was the throne room, she quietly came up to the doors and put her ear against them. What she heard, however, didn't make her happy.

"So let me get this straight," Riku's voice said from the other side of the doors, "You'll help me find my friends if I tag along with Kaida whenever she leaves Hollow Bastion?"

"That is correct," Maleficent's voice said.

"Beg your pardon Maleficent, but your daughter seems like she can handle herself."

_"_Maybe so, but a mother can never be too careful when it comes to her child's well being."

Kaida's face cringed in disbelief. Since when did her mother have concern over her well being.

"So, do we have a deal Riku?"

_Please say no, please say no,_ Kaida thought frantically.

"Yes."

She couldn't believe it. Just when Kaida had her chance to be free, Riku comes along and Maleficent makes him her loyal pet. When she heard footsteps approaching the door, Kaida backed away just as Riku exited the room.

The first thing Riku saw as he opened the door was a very cross Kaida narrowing her eyes at him. "What's wrong with you?"

"I heard my mother's little proposition for you," she replied coldly, "So let me get something straight here." Kaida approached him, closing the gap between them, and jabbed a finger into his chest. "My mother may have asked you to keep an eye on me, but don't expect me to cooperate. I had trained too hard and too long to get where I am now, and I won't have my freedom jeopardized because of you. Got it?" she growled, glaring at him.

Riku smirked in amusement. "Got it." Kaida scoffed in annoyance as she stormed into the throne room to speak to her mother. _I have to admit, she's kind of cute when she's angry,_ Riku thought before walking down the hallway.

* * *

><p>Kaida stormed her way over to the throne, not caring that she was suppose to be respectful. "Mother, we need to talk."<p>

"Kaida, I was just about to call for you," Maleficent said with mock surprise.

"I heard about your offer to Riku. What makes you think I need a bodyguard? You already have Jafar, Oogie Boogie, Ursula, Hades, and Hook watching over me. I am capable of handling my missions by myself without having someone watching over my shoulder! What's the point of bringing him here in the first place if you're just gonna have him watch me 24/7?" Kaida asked, her anger building up inside her.

Maleficent scowled at her daughter and she waved her staff as the orb on it glowed green. The same green aura surrounded Kaida's body and the girl cried out painfully as she levitated into the air, her body feeling like it was being stabbed by a million knives and unable to move.

"You dare to speak to me with that tone of voice? I will stop if you promise to never speak to me or any of your superiors with disrespect ever again," Maleficent growled.

"I-I promise…mother," Kaida managed to say, and she floated down and then collapsed onto the floor, breathing heavily from the pain she endured.

"Now, to answer your burning questions," the evil fairy explained as Kaida struggled to stand up, "I have a task for you." Kaida looked at her in confusion. "As you are aware, it was Riku's darkness that I require his assistance. However, if he were to plunge deeper into the darkness, Riku would be of greater help to our plans. While you are out on your missions with him, train him in using the power of darkness. Do you understand Kaida?"

Kaida thought for a moment and replied, "I understand, mother."

"And one more thing my dear." With another wave of her scepter, Kaida felt immense pain going through her head. Groaning in pain, she clutched her head with both hands and fell to her knees as the pain intensified. In her mind, she could see the vision she saw before fade away into nothing and for a moment her mind had gone blank.

Once the pain subsided, Kaida slowly got back up. "What did you just do to me?!"

"I merely just relieved you of whatever it was plaguing your mind." Maleficent smiled coldly when Kaida looked at her with confusion.

* * *

><p><em><strong>So what do you think? Please review! Tips for better battle scene writing are most appreciated. Thanks! <strong>_

_**See you next chapter!**_


	4. Chapter 3

_**I'M BACK! Sorry to keep you waiting! I would've posted this chapter much sooner but first my internet connection acts up again and then the document with the third chapter got lost so I had to type it up again. X( Luck has not been on my side recently…**_

_**Anyways, thank you MissBookFan for the review, ciarra halle and zrinnamaria for following and favoring, and RagingStorms7462 for favoring as well. :)**_

_**On with the story!**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

"I'm telling you, we should go this way," Kaida muttered angrily, pointing to the path on the left.

"And I'm telling you, we should go that way," Riku spat back, pointing to the path on the right.

Kaida scoffed, "What makes you so sure we won't hit a dead end like last time?"

"Look, I'm sure of it this time! And what about you? Every path you picked just got us right back to where we started," Riku retorted.

"At least they got us somewhere! And who died and put you in charge anyway?"

"Hey! Just because you're Maleficent's daughter doesn't mean you're the boss of me. Don't forget who she asked to keep an eye on you!"

Kaida and Riku were sent on a mission to go look for another Princess of Heart in a world called Wonderland. After they landed in a large garden maze, Riku and Kaida had been wandering inside it for a while and got themselves hopelessly lost.

"One," Kaida said annoyingly, raising her index finger, "I'm not saying that being her daughter puts me in charge of anything. And two," she raised another finger; "your little 'job' doesn't really mean you're the boss of me, does it?"

"That's not what I meant," Riku said, but Kaida just rolled her eyes.

"Oh really? Because that's what it sounds like to me," she remarked incredulously, "Tell me, how did your friends handle such a stubborn guy like you?"

"Me? You're the one being stubborn!"

Kaida glared at him angrily and put her hands on her hips. "You know what? If that's the way you feel, maybe we shouldn't be working together on this mission! Why don't I just go find the princess by myself while you go ahead and get yourself lost in this labyrinth?" She stormed off down the left path.

"Hey, get back here! We have to stick together!" Riku yelled, but Kaida ignored him. "Okay fine! Go on and get lost for all I care!"Riku yelled before running off to the right. "Don't blame me when Maleficent finds out!"

Kaida nearly flinched at what Riku said, but she didn't want to appear weak in front of him and kept walking without turning back. Many crazy turns later, Kaida still couldn't find the exit. _Ugh! Maybe I shouldn't have strayed away…_

"My, my, what do we have here?"

Kaida nearly jumped at the sound of the voice. She got into a defensive stance and looked around. "Whatever is the matter? Are you lost like dear Alice?"

"Who's there? Where are you?" Kaida called out, getting ready to pull out her staff.

"I can be anywhere," the voice said mischievously, "then again I can also be nowhere." Kaida then spotted footprints on the ground going down one of the pathways as the mysterious voice started singing a peculiar song (A/N: the one he sang in the movie). The unusual thing is the footprints appeared as if there was something walking down the path, but the only thing visible was the prints.

"Hey!" Kaida followed the footprints down the path. The prints then started moving faster and it wasn't long until Kaida broke into a run to catch up. She then turned the corner and-

"OOF!"

Kaida collided into someone and landed on her butt. "Ow! What the-?" she said, rubbing her head.

"Hey, watch where you're-Oh, it's just you." Kaida looked up to see a very annoyed Riku sitting across from her.

"What's that suppose to mean?" she asked, just as annoyingly, "And what were you doing that made you run into me?"

"For your information, I believe you ran into me," he stated matter-of-factly, earning an eye roll from Kaida, "and I was following these weird footprints while I was trying to find the way out."

That caught her attention. "Hold up. Weird footprints? Did these footprints seem like they were moving on their own?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Because I was following those footprints earlier before you ran into me."

The same mischievous voice from before then chuckled, "Quite the coincidence isn't it?"

They turned toward where to voice came from and then a pink and purple cat gradually appeared on top of a hedge wall, from its wide grinning mouth and bright eyes to its head and right down to its striped body and tail. "Or perhaps it wasn't a coincidence at all?"

"You're a cat?" Riku asked, looking at said creature in slight surprise.

"A Cheshire Cat," he replied, lifting his ears up with his tail as if it were a hat.

Kaida shook her head. "A Cheshire Cat? Oh man, I thought the talking furniture and talking mice that wear clothing were weird enough…" Riku looked at her in confusion. "Long story. Don't want to talk about it," she told him nonchalantly.

"What is weird?" The cat asked, "Everything is weird and yet not so weird as well."

Riku pinched the bridge of his nose while Kaida rubbed her forehead in annoyance. "Seriously, this cat's giving me a headache," Riku grumbled.

Kira muttered, "At least that's one thing we can agree on for once."

"I believe I heard that you two are looking for young Alice. A Princess of Heart you called her?" the cat asked, gaining Kaida and Riku's attention. "If she is, then Alice is closer than you two think she is."

Kaida groaned, "Ugh! Again with the riddles?"

Before she could whip out her staff to impale the darn cat, a loud voice bellowed, "You dare to object?! Choose now or you will lose your head!"

"Come on, let's go see what's going on. We'll deal with that cat later," Riku said, then grabbed Kaida's arm and dragged her away from the grinning Cheshire Cat.

After walking for a few steps, Kaida suddenly stopped and yanked her arm out of Riku's grasp. "What's the deal? A few minutes ago you didn't care that we split up, and now you're dragging me along with you?"

"Look," he said sternly, "Whether we like it or not, we've got to work together on this mission. Now you may not like the way things are now, but this is how it's gonna be from now on. So here's the deal: if you are willing to work with me on this, I won't tell Maleficent about our fight and we'll pretend it never happened. Deal?" Riku extended his hand out to her. Kaida looked from him to his hand with a scowl, and with an annoyed sigh, she took his hand and they shook on it.

The two soon came to a heart-shaped archway that was guarded by what looked like two card soldiers from the inside. Kaida and Riku crouched down and each went to opposite sides of the arch to stay hidden. Kaida peered inside to see a courtroom filled with more card soldiers along with a chubby, scowling woman wearing a small crown seated in the judge's bench.

Hearing a gasp, Kaida looked over at Riku with a look that read 'What's wrong?' With a look of disbelief, Riku pointed toward the witness stand and she followed his finger and gaze to a young boy with very spiky brown hair. 'Sora?'

Riku nodded and was about to go up to his friend before Kaida motioned him to stop. Kaida narrowed her eyes and saw a duck wearing a blue cap and a dog with a green jacket and orange hat in another witness stand on the other side of the courtroom. 'Who are they?' she mouthed, pointing at them. Riku did a double take and turned to Kaida, mouthing 'Don't know.'

"There's your evidence. Alice is innocent, so let her go!" Sora shouted.

_Alice?_ Kaida looked toward cage that was shrouded by a red curtain and something inside her sensed a heart full of light was in the cage. _That's got to be her,_ she thought.

"SILENCE! Anyone that defies the queen is guilty! Guards, seize them!" the queen yelled at the top of her lungs. The stands suddenly vanished and Riku and Kaida retreated into maze exit just as the archway started to disappear. A small tower popped out of the ground and a card soldier ran up to it and turned a large wheel in the tower, raising the covered cage higher up. The rest of the soldiers charged at Sora and his two acquaintances with their spears and the latters were ready to fight back. The dog pulled out a shield, the duck held a wizard's staff, and Sora extended his hand and summoned a keyblade, much to Kaida and Riku's surprise.

"Another keyblade?!" Kaida shouted in shock, "How?!" Luckily for her, no one else but Riku heard her.

Riku, just as shocked, said, "Your guess is as good as mine. But now's our chance to get Alice."

"R-right," she stuttered out of her shock, "Stay here and keep an eye out. I'll go in and get her."

"Hold up, why do I have to be the look-out?"

"Do you want to waste time arguing again or complete our mission?" Riku opened his mouth to say something, but then decided against it. "That's what I thought." Kaida then quickly opened up a dark corridor and ran in.

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><p>A young blonde girl in a baby blue dress gripped onto the yellow bars of the cage imprisoning her. Even though the curtain blocked her view of what was going on outside, the sounds of weapons clashing and voices crying out in pain worried and scared her greatly. "Oh no…please be alright Sora, Donald, Goofy…." she whimpered.<p>

A whooshing sound from behind startled her and she quickly turned around to see a dark corridor open in the wall. Kaida stepped out of it, making the blonde's eyes widen in fright. "Are you Alice?"

"W-why, yes. Who are you?" the frightened youth asked.

"I'm Kaida. I'm here to get you out of this cage."

Alice had her back against the cage bars, still frozen in fear. "What about Sora, Donald, and Goofy?"

"You mean that boy, duck, and dog outside?" Alice nodded. "They look like they can handle themselves. Now come on, let's get out of here."

Alice stayed where she was, still unsure if she could trust her. Kaida closed her eyes and ran her hand over her hair as she gave an exasperated sigh. _What am I suppose to do? _The raven-haired girl thought when she suddenly felt a sharp pain go through her head.

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><p><em>A little girl with shoulder-length raven hair and wearing a black dress stood behind a tree in fright. Her eyes were fixed on two figures from far away. <em>

"_Kaida?" The little girl let out a gasp when she looked to see an older girl with short blue hair standing right next to her. The bluenette crouched down to Kaida's height and asked, "Why are you hiding?"_

"_I-I'm not hiding," little Kaida said nervously, stepping out of her hiding place and straightening herself._

_The older girl chuckled and looked toward the two figures Kaida was watching earlier. "Are you scared of the new student?"_

_Kaida stuttered that she wasn't, but the bluenette's expression showed she was skeptic. Knowing she can't hide anything from her, the raven-haired girl gave a sigh of defeat and admitted she was scared. _

"_It's okay to be scared Kaida. But you don't need to be scared once you get to know him."_

"_I-I don't know…"_

"_Come on. Let's go talk to him." The bluenette stood up and walked toward the two figures and then turned around to notice Kaida hadn't moved from her spot. She gave the little girl a reassuring smile and extended her hand out to her. "It'll be okay. I'll help you," she said softly._

_Kaida looked at the extended hand and then looked at the bluenette. Slowly, she walked toward the older girl and then grasped her hand with hers._

"_That's my little Kai." Said girl smiled at the bluenette and they both walked together hand in hand._

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><p>Kaida opened her eyes and looked at Alice; for a brief moment, the blonde's appearance changed to that of a 5-year-old version of Kaida before it returned to normal.<p>

"Come on. I'll help you," the raven-haired girl said softly, extending a hand out to the Princess of Heart. Alice stared at the hand for a moment before she reluctantly walked toward her and reached out to grab her hand.

But when their fingers nearly touched, both girls felt the cage suddenly drop. Kaida steadied herself on her feet, but Alice fell back and hit her head on the cage bars, knocking herself unconscious. Once the cage stopped, Kaida noticed the curtain starting to pull away. The raven haired girl quickly grabbed Alice and escaped through a dark corridor just before the curtain could reveal them.

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><p><em><strong>Hope you guys like the chapter! :) Again, I am so sorry for the late update. :( I just hope I won't be so unlucky when I put up the next one…<strong>_

_**Please favorite, follow, and/or review. See ya! :)**_


	5. Chapter 4

_**I'M BAAACCKKK! So sorry for the late update! With the school year just around the corner for me, I haven't had as much time to work on this story as I used to. So this means I won't be able to update weekly like I promised in Chapter 1… :( But this story will go on! **_

_**Okay, enough of me talking! On with the next chapter!**_

**Chapter 4**

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><p>"YOU FOOLS! Find Alice and bring her back here at once! I don't care how!"<p>

Frightened by the queen's temper, every card soldier in the courtroom fled and went to search for the missing girl.

Riku remained hidden in the shadows of the maze as he waited for Kaida. _Where is she?_

A whoosh from behind nearly made him jump and he turned around to see his raven-haired partner come out of a dark corridor with Alice in her arms.

"Took you long enough," Riku scoffed.

"Oh I'm sorry," she said sarcastically, "Didn't mean to keep you waiting."

Riku rolled his eyes, and then looked at the girl in Kaida's arms. "This is her?" She nodded. "Have to admit, she's kinda cute."

Kaida glared at Riku in disbelief and said, "We're not here to get her so you can date her you know. Now let's get out of here!"

Riku grinned while raising an eyebrow. "Jealous, are we?"

The raven-haired girl scoffed, "Me? Jealous? Not on your life." She was just about to go through the corridor when she turned around to see Riku looking back at the courtroom. "Hey! Are you coming or not?" He glanced at her with a slight glare and quickly walked past her and through the corridor. Kaida took a quick glance back at her surroundings and went after Riku.

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><p>Maleficent leisurely strolled down the hallways until she reached the chapel, smiling to herself. Indubitably, she strongly believed her plans to use the Princesses of Heart to rule all worlds will go without a hitch.<p>

After having to move to Hollow Bastion after Aurora's capture, the evil fairy had an almost difficult time keeping her 'daughter' sufficiently in check when she sent her off on missions to other worlds. Even with the help of her colleagues, she had doubts that she could keep Kaida's memories at bay for long. But now that she had Riku, not only did she have another pawn, but she will be able to make sure Kaida remains loyal to her until Xehanort comes for the girl.

Just as she entered the chapel, Riku and Kaida had returned from Wonderland. "I take it that your mission was a success?" she asked. The two teenagers were surprised to see Maleficent and the evil fairy noticed the girl in Kaida's arms. Maleficent smiled maliciously as she said, "I commend you both on a job well done. Now, let us go put her with the others."

"The others?" Riku asked while looking at Kaida with a confused expression.

"You'll see," Kaida told him. After showing him the secret passage hidden behind one of the chapel walls, Kaida and Maleficent made their way to the Great Hall with RIku following behind.

The hazel-eyed girl glanced down at the young blonde in her arms and thought about what happened when she retrieved the princess from Wonderland. She couldn't really explain it. Kaida would've just grabbed Alice and took her against her will when the blonde refused to move, but something about the vision of the woman with short blue hair made her act otherwise. It was almost as if a part of her that she never knew she had awakened after seeing that vision. But who was the woman and did she know her? Kaida shook her head at the possibility since she had never been outside the Forbidden Mountains during her childhood. Still…

"Is something troubling you my dear?" Kaida perked her head up to see Maleficent glancing back at her.

"No, mother. Nothing's wrong," the girl lied. Maleficent seemed suspicious at first, but then decided to not ask further.

Once they arrived at the Great Hall, Riku was in awe as he looked around the large room. What caught his attention the most were the three women resting in the pods on the side walls. "Who are they?" he asked.

"They're princesses with hearts of pure light," Kaida replied, "just like Alice." The raven-haired girl then placed Alice in the empty pod next to Aurora and Belle and stepped back just as black tendrils wrapped around the blonde girl's sleeping form.

"Kaida." Said girl turned and faced her mother. "I wish to speak to Riku alone. You may go and roam the castle as you please but stay in Hollow Bastion."

"Yes mother." Kaida bowed to Maleficent and walked out of the hall, but not before giving Riku a warning look while Maleficent wasn't looking.

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><p>"Let's see… 'History of Hollow Bastion'? Read it. 'Spells for Beginners'? Nope. 'Tale of Two Cities'? Sounds interesting." Kaida skimmed over the large row of books as she walked around the library. She had read a couple of the books during her time at the castle whenever she wasn't wandering the halls. The hazel-eyed girl did a search for any books regarding the keyblade or the princesses, but so far she found none.<p>

"'Advanced Fighting Tactics.' This could be useful." After getting a ladder, Kaida pulled out the book and was about to open it when she noticed something peculiar in the bookshelf. Just above where the other books had toppled down, there were indentations in the wood that conspicuously formed the shape of a rectangle. Inside it was some sort of square puzzle with 8 smaller square pieces that were all mixed up.

"What do we have here?" she wondered out loud. Kaida looked closer at the jumbled pieces in the square and started moving them around to see if she could make the picture. After many attempts, she finally started to recognize the image of the Heartless symbol. Once she completed the image, a secret compartment in the shelf sprung open and revealed to contain a small hardcover journal titled 'Ansem's Reports.'

Carefully making sure no one was watching, she pulled out the book and blew away the dust. Sitting on one of the ladder rungs, Kaida flipped through the journal to find pages full of information about the Heartless and many other things concerning hearts: notes, diagrams, charts, even a few drawings. She looked closely inside and noticed that a few pages were missing and looked as if they were ripped out of the journal. She flipped the book back to the beginning and started to read the first journal entry.

_Much of my life has been dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge._

_That knowledge has guarded this world well. Not a soul doubts that._

_I am blessed with people's smiles and respect. But though I am called a sage, there are things I do not understand._

_I believe darkness sleeps in every heart, no matter how pure. Given the chance, the smallest drop can spread and swallow the heart. I have witnessed it many times._

_Darkness...Darkness of the heart. How is it born?_

_How does it come to affect us so?_

_As ruler of this world, I must find the answers. I must find them before the world is lost to those taken by the darkness._

_So this Ansem used to rule here before Maleficent and I came along,_ she thought, _and he was studying the darkness. Wonder what happened to him?_ She turned to the next page to find a few notes written down along with another report and some sketches of a Shadow Heartless. Kaida saw where the two pages that were suppose to go before the next one were gone and she kept a mental note of it as she read the next report.

_The Heartless appear in groups, and are multiplying rapidly. I've provided them both living and nonliving samples. They've responded only to the living. They seem to multiply after absorbing something from the living creatures. Their prey vanishes without a trace._

_I believe the Heartless are taking hearts. They are born from those who've lost their hearts, and thrive on hearts seized from others. The hearts taken by the Heartless become Heartless themselves._

_Though I lack proof, I am confident in this hypothesis. I must also study their behavioral principles. Though they lack emotions, they do seem to have some intelligence. How to communicate with them?_

_It's just occurred to me: Could they be the darkness in people's hearts?_

The sound of a door opening and closing followed by footsteps nearly made Kaida fall off the ladder just as she finish reading.

"Kaida?"

Regaining herself, she slapped the book shut and was about to put it back when a piece of paper slipped out and started to fall down. She tried to grab it back but the page kept floating away from her hand. She reached for it again and caught it with one hand on the ladder and one foot on the rung.

"Kaida? Where are you ya little bugger?" The footsteps were getting closer and closer.

"You sure she's in here?"

"Well, of course I'm sure! I saw her coming in here minutes ago!"

"Kai! You in here?!"

Hearing the two voices coming even closer, she frantically shoved the journal along with the page back into the secret compartment and concealed it; then she repositioned the books on the shelf the way she found it as quickly as she could. Just as she was about to climb down, Kaida felt something crawling down her arm. Slightly trembling, she looked at her arm and her eyes widened at what she saw what was tickling her skin.

"Aaaahhhh!" She flew back her hands as she screamed from seeing the little black spider that crawled off of her and onto the ladder. Kaida suddenly wobbled on the ladder and she yelped as she fell off from a great height. The raven-haired girl squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for a spine breaking crash with the ground until-

"Whoa!" Instead of her back hitting the hard floor, Kaida felt herself caught in someone's arms.

"There she is! I told you she'd be here. Nice catch by the way."

Kaida opened her eyes and saw gloved hands and muscular arms carrying her bridal style and she looked up till her eyes met with very familiar aquamarine eyes._  
><em>

Riku smirked at the dumbfounded girl in his arms, "Glad I caught you huh?"

Kaida just looked annoyingly at the smug silvernette. "Do you mind putting me down?" Riku laughed a little and set Kaida back on her feet.

"Ha ha ha! Kaida, that was one banger of a scream!" Said girl blushed slightly and glared at the owner of the voice, which was a large chubby sack-like thing with stubby hands and feet and a pointed head. He had his hands on his hips and was guffawing like there was no tomorrow.

"Oh shut up Oogie!" Kaida retorted. She hated looking weak and helpless, especially in front of her 'superiors' and Riku. But Oogie Boogie only laughed harder until he coughed up a few bugs. She cringed at the sight of the little creeps crawling on the floor, trying not to scream in fear again.

Kaida then heard a slight chuckle and turned her glare at him. "So the tough vigilante is scared of bugs?" Riku taunted, crossing his arms across his chest as he smirked. If looks could kill, RIku would be a dead man from the cold expression on the girl's face.

Oogie 's laughter died down and brought his stubby hand under the holes that were his eyes as if he was crying. "Anyhoo, I'm done here, so I'm off!" he exclaimed and then walked away and out of the library.

After Kaida calmed down, Riku was the first to speak. "So what were you doing up there?" he asked, pointing his eyes upward.

"I was just looking through the books to see if there was anything interesting for me to read," she replied. Kaida didn't want to tell Riku about the secret journal in case he might report it to Maleficent. If her mother had secrets to hide from her, there's no reason why Kaida can't have secrets of her own to hide.

"And how did you fall?" Riku asked.

"I…accidently slipped on the ladder on the climb down when I heard you and Oogie come in." It wasn't a complete lie and Riku seemed a bit skeptic by her response.

"Right," he teased, "did you slip because of a bug on the ladder?"

"Oh be quiet!" she growled, "Anyway, why were you looking for me in the first place?"

"I…uh…wanted to ask you about the princesses."

Kaida raised an eyebrow. "What about them?"

"Any idea what your mother's going to use them for?"

She gave out an exasperated sigh before she replied, "Sorry to disappoint you, but I have no idea. There are some things she keeps to herself, even from her own daughter."

"Oh…" Riku seemed a little disappointed that she didn't have any details about Maleficent's plan.

"So how'd it go?" she asked.

Riku knew she was asking about his discussion with Maleficent earlier. "Well, after you left…"

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><p>"<em>So, how was your mission with Kaida in Wonderland?" Maleficent asked as soon as she made sure Kaida was gone.<em>

_Riku shrugged as he replied, "It was…interesting to say the least."_

_Maleficent seemed interested. "How so?"_

"_We ran into this Cheshire Cat who kind of helped us find Alice and then saw Sora was there too."_

"_Really?" _

"_Yes. He had a keyblade with him and there were these two other guys with him. A duck and a dog, I think?"_

Donald and Goofy, the king's pitiful lackeys, _Maleficent thought to herself. "I see. It seems you have one less friend to worry about now. The keyblade has chosen him and it wouldn't surprise me that this Sora will begin to value that weapon and his new companions more than he did you and Kairi."_

_Riku was taken aback by the evil fairy's claim. "That's insane! There's no way Sora would ever replace me and Kairi!"_

"_Believe what you want. But don't say I didn't warn you. After all, one never knows the secrets to another's heart."_

_He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Sora? Forgetting about him and Kairi? Ridiculous! Riku and Sora have been best friends since they were little and no one knows the brunette better than him and Kairi._

"_What about the princesses? Why do you have them here?" he asked, trying to change the topic._

"_You will know soon enough my child. Once you and Kaida have obtain the other pure lights, I will tell you what I intend to do with them," Maleficent replied almost ominously. "That is all I wish to discuss. You are dismissed."_

_Riku bowed to her and then went back the way he came, hoping to ask the raven-haired girl if she knew anything._

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><p>"Sounded like you had quite a talk," Kaida deadpanned after Riku finished explaining, "at least you didn't tell her about our little…dispute."<p>

"We had a deal didn't we?" Riku said, as if she had already forgotten.

"I know, I know," she replied dismissively.

"But what bugged me the most was what she said about Sora. He wouldn't just replace me and Kairi and then forget about us…"

Kaida may not know about her partner's best friend, but when she saw the spiky brunette in Wonderland, she could almost tell a few things about him. The way he acted in the courtroom made it seem like he's the type of person who was willing to help those in need no matter what the cost. Then again, Maleficent had given her the same warning about not knowing what a person truly is like.

And then there was the task she had been given: plunge Riku deeper into the darkness and sever his ties with his friends. "Well, she might be right," she claimed, leaning back against the bookcase with her arms crossed.

"Are you serious?!" he said incredulously, "You barely even know him and yet you're already judging him!"

Kaida kept her calm demeanor and said, "I'm just saying that there might be things about Sora you just never knew about, even if you've known him for a long time."

The silvernette scoffed in annoyance. "Whatever." And with that, he stormed out of the library, leaving Kaida alone.

_I thought he'd never leave,_ she thought as she heard the doors slamming shut. The ravenette looked up at the spot where the reports were hidden. _Wonder if my mother knows anything about the book. Well, whatever the case, let's just hope I'll get some answers._

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><p><em><strong>And that's it for now. Hope you guys like it! As I've said in earlier, my updates will be going a bit slow from now on, but I'll try to post up the next chapter as soon as possible! <strong>_

_**The part with the journal hidden in the bookshelf was inspired from the movie "National Treasure: Book of Secrets." Pretty great movie. :) **_

_**Please favorite, follow, and/or review!**_

_**Until next time! :)**_


	6. Author's Note

_**Hey guys!**_

_**Look, there's something I got to tell you. I know this story has a couple of Favorites and Followers already, but after looking over the whole story again...**_

_**Honestly, I didn't exactly like how it came out so far. :(**_

_**So, as of now, I'm going to be working on a better version of this story and I'll put up the first chapter whenever I've got time from my schoolwork. **_

_**I'm already working on a rough draft, so hopefully the revised edition will be better than this one./strong/em/p**_

_**So...that's all I've got to say for now**_**_._**

_**Catch you later! :)**_


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